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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · pitch · content · deal · bank · mate · bulb · season

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rest — what's left
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bulb — for light
  16. content — the amount
  17. bank — for money
  18. content — happy
  19. season — in sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — of the year
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com